Rifle



H. H. JONES.

RIFLE.

APPLICATIONv FILED JULY 29| 1918- Patnted June V15, 1920...Y

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.IIIIIHIIIIIIIIIIIMII I I I l/IIII/IIIII/I IIIIIIIIIIIIIII- I H. H. JONES.

RIFLE. l APPLICATION FILEDJULY 29 'm' Patented June 15,1920.

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- whichthe gasolene or other fuel used is UNITED )STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HARRY H. JONES, 0F PORTLAND, 0REGON.

RIFLE.

.Specification of Ietters Patent. Patented June 15, 1920.

Application led July 29, 1918. Serial No. 247,213.

exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

l My invention relates to improvements in fire arms4 and more particularly to army riies, although the invention could of course be used for othei` purposes. The principal object of the invention is to-provide an extremely simple and inexpensive, yet a highly efficient, durable, and in every way desirable rifle which will utilize the forms of expanding gases to drive the bullet from the barrel,

rather than necessitatin the use of powder or other explosives for this purpose.

A further object is to provide a gun in mixedwith air and supplied to a'combustion chamber at the breach of the gun, thus' mak-v ing it unnecessary to provide cartridge cases lfor the bullets to contain the explosives for impelling them. `A still further object is to providev novel means for mixing the fuel with air and forcing it into the combustion chamber. l Yet another object is to provide a single operating member for actuating the bullet lifter which positions the bullets at the breech of the barrel, and for controlling the charging means of the combustion chamber.

With the foregoing objects in view the invention resides in the novelfeatures of con- Astruction and unique combinations of parts the descriptive matter being supplemented to be hereinafter fully described and claimed,

.-by the accompanying drawings which form a part of this specification and in which:

Figure 1 is a central longitudinal section vof a gun constructed in accordance with my invention,showing a bullet in position to be fired from the barrel Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1, but illusi trating the manner in which the bullet lifter is lowered to receive the bulletsjfrom the magazine,thi's view also disclosing the manner in which the pump is operated to compressv the mixture of air and fuel for-suppl to the combustion chamber;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the planes indicated by the line 3 3 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a vertical transverse section on I the plane of the liner-4 4 of Fig. 1; lFig. 5 1 s a detail perspective view showing a portion of the valve which controls the admission of explosive mixture to the combustion chamber; f

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the bullet lifter;

Fig. 7 is a side elevation of aportion of the gun; 'f

Fig. 8 is a sectional perspectiveview'of the parts associated with the breech of the arrel; Q

Figs. 9 and 10 are perspective views of the slide which operates the bullet lifter and the pump; and I Fig. 11 is a longitudinal fuel reservoir and the means ,for mixing the fuel with air.

In theV drawings above briefly described,

the numeral -1 designates the barrel of the improved rifle, 2 designates the stock within which an electric battery and coil (not shown) are located for pperating the spark plug of the combustion chamber, andthe numeral 3 refers to a bre'eech casing; connecting the stock and barrel. 'The front'- end of casing 3 is provided with a `combustion` chamber 4 located at the breech of the .barrel 1 and preferably having a contracted front end 5 aliiied with said barrel. A throat 6 opens downwardly from the contracted poreection of the' tion 5 of the combustion chamber 4 and isadapted to snugly receive the head 7 of an L-shaped bullet lifter L, when said lifter is raised to the position shown .in Fig. 1, it being the oiice of said bullet lifter to lower, receive the bullets 8 from a bullet magazine 9, and then raise from the position of Fig. 2 to that illustrated inl Fig. 1, thus locating the bullet at theA breech of the barrel. From the head 7 of the lifter, an arm 10 extends rearwardlyand is pivotally mounted at 11 in the casing 3, the opposite edges' of said arm having longitudinal cam grooves 12 in which studs or the like 13'on a slide 14 are received.4 By means .of ribs 15 .and grooves 16, or other preferred guiding means, the slide 14 is mountedlinthe lower portion of fthe casing-3 beneath the arm 10, andit will4 .be observed that this arm inclines downivi'fardly and forwardly. It will thusV be seen .magazine 9, whereas forward movement of said slide will vraisethe arm and head -to locate the bullet at the breech of the barrel.

A reservoir 17 adapted `to contain asolene or other suitable explosive fue is mounted either fixedly or detachably in the rear end of the casing 3,l and an air supply tube 17 discharges into said reservoir by means of a check valve 17 (see more particularly Fig. 11). The front end of tube 17 carries a piston 18 (Fig. 11) upon which a pump cylinder 19 slides, thefront end of said cylinder being connected at 20 to the slide 14, whereby each rearward movement of said slide will compress air in the cylinder 19 andv force this air into the lreservoir 17 through the tube 17 and its check chamber.

valve 17 This air leaves the upper portion of the reservoir 17 through a nipple 21'd is charging into a valve casing 22 from w-hlch A pressed in the reservoir 17 is'allowed to escape, itforces outwardly through the nipple 21 and consequently draws a quantity of gasolene ory the like through the nozzle 26, forming a combustible mixture .which is carried by its own compression into the combustion chamber when the controlling valve is open.- -This valve is actuated bythe movement Yof the slide 14 'and it will be of course understood that any preferred means may be employed for actuating saidslide. For illustrative purposes 4however vI have shown an action rod 27 leading forwardly to a hand grip.28 which slides upon the bullet magazine 9. i 'v The tube 23 above described leads to one end of a needle valve casing 29 communifcating by ports 30 and a check valve 31 with the combustion chamber 4, the needlevalve 32. of saidrasing being normall closed by a spring 33 as shown clearly in igs. 4 and 5. A pinion 34 is secured on, the outer end Y ofthe valve 32 Afor .coaction withV a dog in the form of a spring 35 partly inset in one side of the slide 14. On the 'rearward movement of the slide, the spring slides Iidly over `the pinion 34, but .when said slide-,isforced forwardly sufficiently toraise 'the 4`bullet lifter to the position of Fig. 1, the` spring 35 engages and rotates 'the 4pinion 434, thus momentarily opening the valve 32 and permitting the escape of compressed air from the I fuel reservoir 15, such escape of air carrying with it a quantity of gasolene or other fuel, in the manner above set forth. The vexplosive mixture thus compressed behind the bullet lifter is fired b Vmeans of a spark plug 36 to which electrlccurrent is supplied from a suitable battery and coil located in -the stock 2, the 'wiring 37 connecting said spark plug with said battery and coil, being provided with a switch 38 which may be closed by trigger 39.

In operation, the magazine 9 is filled with Athe bullets 8 and the reservoir 15 with the 'gasolene or other fuel to be used. By now pulling rearwardly upon'the hand grip 28, the bullet lifter is lowered to the position of Fig. 2 to receive a bullet 8 from the magazine, and at thesame time' the pump cylinder 19 moves rearwardly to vcompress air in the reservoir 15. Durin thisoperation, the spring 35 s hasmoved i -ly over the pinion 34 without in an manner affecting the needle valve 32. orward movement of the hand grip 28 now shifts slide 14 again for- .f wardly, thereby raising the' bullet lifter to posltion the bullet 8 at the breech of the barrel 1, and when this has taken place, still furthe'r forward movement of the slide causes the aforesaid spring 35 to engage and rotate the pinion 34, thus opening valve 32 and permitting the compressed air to pick up a 'quantity of fuel at the mixing device above described and carry such fuel into the combustion 'chamber through the tube 23. By the time the slide 14 has reached the limit of its forward movement, spring 35 has been disengaged from pinion 34 and the spring 33 again automatically closes the valve 32. `When the trigger 39 is now pulled upon, the circuit of the spark plug is completed so that the char e is fired in the combustion chamber 4.and t e bullet 8 consequentlyis driven from the barrel. Whenever necessary the pu,mp may be actuated without moving the bullet lifter, by giving short strokes to the hand grip, and the com l pression-may thus be varied in the fuel reservoir and combustion chamber,

' From the foregoing, 'taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, it will be obvious that although my Iinvention is of extremely sim len and inexpensive nature, it will be hi h y eflicient and in every way desirable. incev probably the best results are 4obtained from the detailsshown and described, they are by preference followed, but vv'fithin'th'el scoperof the iirvfention as claimed, considerable latitude is allowed for tate.v Y, L

vI claim: v

its breech a combustion chamber, a bullet magazine, a. bullet lifter for'feeding bullets from said magazineinto said breech, a slide for operating said bullet lifter, aI fuel resymaking" such changes'as'occasion may dicy '.4 12 1. A gun comprising a barrelhaving at' ervoir, a pump for compressing air into said reservoir, a combined air and fuel outlet and mixer for said reservoir, a tube leading from said outlet and mixer' to said combustion chamber and having a valve, and means actuated by said slide for controlling'said valve. v

2. A gun comprising a barrel having at its breecha combustion chamber, a bullet magazine, a bullet lifter for feeding bullets from said. magazine into said breech, a slide for operating said bullet lifter, a fuel reservoir, a passage from said reservoir to said combustion chamber having a valve, a pinion on said valve, and a dog on said slide for operating said pinion.

3. A gun comprising a barrel having at its breech acombustion chamber, said breech being provided with an inlet throat in its bottom, a vertically movable bullet lifter operating in said throat, and having a rearwardly extending arm, a magazine for supplying bullets to said lifter, a slide operatively engaged with said arm to raise and lower said lifter, an operating member for said slide, means actuated by said slide for charging said combustion member, and means forifring the charge.

4. A gun comprising a barrel having at its breech a combustion cliambei', said breech being providedwith an inlet throat in its bottom, a vertically movable bullet lifter operating in said throat and having a rearwardly extending arm provided with a cani groove, a magazine for supplying bullets to said lifter, a slide .below said arm and having means traveling in said cam groove .to raise and lower said arm, an operating member for said slide, `means actuated by said slide for charging said combustion'l chamber, and means for firing the charge.

5. A gun comprising a fuel reservoir hav? ing an outlet nipple, a passage into which saidv nipple discharges, a fuel nozzle from said reservoir located in said nipple in spaced4 relation to the wall thereof, a ,gun

barrel, a combustion chamber at the breech of said barrel, a valve controlling communication between said passage and said chamber, means for feeding bullets to said breech, means for forcing compressed air into said reservoir, and firing means for the mixture of fuel and air admitted into said combustion chamber.

6. A gun comprising a barrel, a casing extending rearwardly from the breech of said barrel, a combustionchamber in the front end of said casing registering with said barrel, said combustion chamber having an inlet throat in its bottom, a vertically moving bullet lifter operating in said throat, an inclined arm extending rearwardly from said bullet lifter and pivotally mounted in said casing, a magazine beneath the barrel for supplying bullets to said bullet lifter, a slide beneath said arm and operatively associated therewith for raising and lowering said bullet lifter when said slide is actuated, an operati/ng member for. said slide, a pump in said casing in rear of said slide and operated by the latter, a fuel reservoir in said casing into which said pump'supplies compressed air, an air and fuel mixei.from said fuelreservoir, a passage from said mixer to said combustion chamber including a valve, means operated by said slide for controlling said valve, and

firin means for the combustible charges admitted into said combustion chamber.

In testimony whereof I havehereunto set m hand. A

y HARRY H. JONES. 

